Copenhagen Festivals #2: Stella Polaris

Stella Polaris celebrated its 20th birthday this year in style! It’s actually a series of four free one-day festivals of electronic music in different cities in Denmark, with the Copenhagen day being held in Frederiksberg Have park.

There were four different stages, from the huge one by the lake to a mini chill-out tent complete with sofas, plus a kids area and some pretty yummy eats (including a cheese truck, giving away free cheese: I think it’s fair to say that Stephen was extremely happy about that part. I too probably ate more cheese than was strictly necessary.).

The kids area at Stella Polaris

The vibe is very laid back and family-friendly, and there was something quite enchanting about following the tracks through woodland from one stage to another not quite knowing what you might find.

We took a picnic and some cold beers along, but there was plenty of food and drink available to buy, and if you purchased an (optional) 25 dkk wristband (we did) you got a discount on drinks at the various bar tents.

We even managed to dodge the rain (did I mention yet that it has been the worst summer in 38 years here? Well, it has…) – there were heavy downpours in the morning and we thought we might have to abandon our plans, but in the end the afternoon only served up one very brief shower.

The line up included a few ‘names’ I had heard of such as Errol Alkan and Chris Coco, but to be honest, this is not about big-name DJ sets, it’s about a day of chilling out in some pretty glorious surroundings and kicking back. The scale of the gardens means that at no point do you feel claustrophobic or squashed into a huge crowd, which is great news for those of us bringing small humans along. Bonus points too that I never once had to queue for the portaloos – it’s the small things that make me happy!

Family Thomas hereby endorses Stella Polaris as a great day out for all the family.